Salted Caramel Shortbread Bars

I first saw these bars on Pinterest, then my coworker’s girlfriend made them but I couldn’t try them because it was Passover, and now that the holiday is over and I’m actually in town again for a few weeks, I finally found the time to make them. These bars are INSANE.

The recipe calls for ONE POUND OF BUTTER, therefore they couldn’t possibly be bad,right? And between the two layers of buttery shortbread there is salted caramel, one of my favorite things in the whole world. And to make everything even better, the recipe is super easy and didn’t take much time.

Speaking of easy, I baked these in Chinet Bakeware[1] which means I cut them right in the baking pan, popped on a lid, and they’re ready to go to the office in the morning–no need to transfer them to another container! Chinet sent me a huge box[2] filled with different types of disposable baking pans and I’m looking forward to trying them all out. Plus, they offered to let me give away a box of bakeware to a reader, so stay tuned for more information and the giveaway!

In a large bowl, combine butter and sugars. Using hand-held mixer on medium speed, beat together until creamy. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Sift the flour into the butter mixture and beat on low speed until a smooth soft dough forms.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Press one half of the dough evenly into the pan to form a bottom crust. Place remaining dough in refrigerator.

Bake until firm and edges are pale golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes. While the bottom crust is baking and the remaining dough is chilling, make the caramel filling. Place the caramels in a microwave-safe bowl.

Add the cream and vanilla, and microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and stir until smooth. If caramels are not completely melted, microwave on high for 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until smooth.

Pour the caramel filling over the crust. Sprinkle the salt over top. Remove remaining dough from refrigerator and crumble it evenly over the caramel. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the filling is bubbly and the crumbled shortbread topping is firm and lightly golden, about 25-30 minutes. Let cool before cutting into squares.